Steve Keck

Revell's California Wheels edition of the '66 Chevelle station wagon. It was suposed to be a quick build. Enough on that. I've lowered the suspension as much as the kit tires and wheels allow. The hood scoops and tail lights have been Frenched in. The scripts have been removed. The engine will get plug wires and an alternator bracket. The interior will be a take-off of the outside colors. I will spare you the usual "set the white styrene body on the kit wheels and tires" opening photo. Paint is House of Kolor Violette Pearl over HOK white base coat on top and white pearl powder in HOK Intercoat Clear over the white base coat on the bottom. Two more coats of Intecoat clear were laid over the colorcoats and wet sanded with 2000 grit in preparation for the urethane gloss coat.

Clay, if you mean automotive lacquers, then I disagree. They will just cause problems for a novice. If you mean lacquers formulated for styrene models such as Tamiya or Testors then I can agree with you. The fabric paints I am familiar with are more carpeting texture than woven fabric. They work well replicating carpeting.

'79 El Camino bought used in '82. It was bronze until 2000 when it got the father-son rehab you see.

The aibrush or gun needs to atomize the urethane just as any other paint so quality is important. Your F1 subject requires more detail than most car models. Morton will jump in here and talk about his automotive touch-up gun that he uses to clear coat models in three passes, left side, right side and top. I was given a Tamiya pistol grip type airbrush that has a large (maybe one ounce) cup and shoots a moderately wise band of paint. I like it a LOT. It atomizes the paint very well. I can cover the roof of a 1/24th car in three passes. This airbrush is dedicated to clear paints so I won't contaminate the clear coat with colored paint. Now I just need to figure out how to keep dandruff, dog hair and general trash out of my clear coats.

And I forgot the engine alignment issues which are multiplied by the PE motor mounts. They say the body doesn't remember pain!LOL!

It builds up into a nice model. If I can remember back that far it had some fit issues. One of which prompted a letter to Accurate Miniatures and their fast response was all the interior tub and associated parts. Whatever the issue was may have been fixed in later production runs. The tube frame has exposed grooves running the length of runners. I suspect this was done to prevent shrinkage as the styrene is very thick. Styrene strips, glue and putty will solve this problem. The wheel rims were not true and needed touching up on a friend's lathe. I used the MCG PE set that I suspect is long out of production. Some of the PE parts for the frame created other fit issues. If it is available and you use it get the Replica & Miniatures resin oil cooler as well. The kit comes with PE brass hood louvers. I found it best to mock up the louvers to determine where to mask them for painting then paint them knocked down and then reassemble them for installation.

Ryan, Mark's tutorial is a great place to start learning. After that I would look through the Tips & Techniques section for other topics by Mark as well as ScaleMaster(Mark Jones) and David Morton. There are others that escape me now but you can't go wrong with these guy's advice. My advice is Patience. You have completed zero models by your own admission and your stated one year goal is a near perfect model (my words): "paint will be near flawless, decals will be straight, engine and accessories paints to detail" Follow Taylor's tutorial and you can get close on the paint. Unless you want to do a NASCAR or NHRA car the decals should not be too tough. The detail painting will take patience and practice. I would stay away from the snap together kits and the kits that state they are for advanced skills(level 3). Tamiya makes great kits but their subjects exclude US iron. Revell would be a safe place to start. Add to the tool list Q-Tips, tweezers (not your mom's but from the local hobby shop (LHS)

Ryan, I am not trying to be a smart ass. Really, I'm not. Maybe you could be more specific with this "Middle of the road" parameter you've handed us. It could mean different things to each of us. And, please expand on the "accuracy and detail" part as they are more the results of your efforts and not part of a list of prerequisites. If you could tell us where you are in your skills and knowledge now and what you want to accomplish in say six months and 12 months, then we can give you a more definitive direction out of the gate.

Well, I hope my comment comes across more sincere than Mr. Taylor's (Like I have to worry about that!). Happy Birthday, Mark.

V...e...r...y NICE! Clean and crisp! Well done! I especially like the opened trunk with the Armor-All'd spare.

Smile when you say that, pardner! Its 93 outside now projected to be 107 by 5PM. The best rattle can paint job I ever shot was done this last winter (OK, winter is a relative term) when it was 55 degrees and maybe 30% humidity. I'd accept the results I got that day, every day.

Or, build your own paint booth?

Gary. You have a steep learning curve (undoubtedly through Professor Morton’s able assistance). You’ve got the theory and the application down. Great job!

Mick, that's a great start out of the gate! I too question the "first" as there is evidence all around of the care you took in your build. Sure there are issues but just the fact you recognize them is more than half the battle. It appears you are a long way down the learning curve. Great job! Steve

David, OK, it was a weak moment when I said that. It must have been the heat here in the valleyLOL! OK, seriously the paint is much better viewed in person. However, to be perfectly honest, I didn't see any camera lens or tree reflections. They must have been Photoshopped in.

I have done the dreaded "polish through the clear and color coats" deed. Instead of starting over I've patched the color and reshot the clear. To do this successfully you must be aware of how the color coat affects the urethane. While urethane can be applied over most paints the reverse is not true. Test and then test again. Plastic spoons are the best test bed. Don't even think of trying this with anything other than an airbrush. I prcatically dusted Tamiya over urethane knowing a wet coat could lead to disaster. And, it's best to do a whole panel instead of just the bad spot.

Beautiful smooth clear coat there Mr. Master. You've lived up to my expectations once again.

Gary, To me cutting=sanding flat. It is the unusual clear coat that lays down perfectly flat(read NO orange peel, NO trash, and NO build up along seam lines.) I start with the least aggressive grit I can get away with, usually 4000, so you are on the right track with the 3200. Yes to the dish washing soap and water to keep the cloths free of paint. Once the surface is flat the cutting stops and the buffing begins. Buffing occurs as the scratches become finer and finer as you progress through the grits up to 12,000. The scratches only get smaller because the paint above them is eroded away by the buffing action. Once the scratch is there the only way to make it disappear is to polish off the surrounding paint. Try turning the model 90 degrees each time you change to a finer grit. Stop with that grit when the old scratches disappear. Some of us skip alternate grits. If the old scratches are not disappearing, then drop back a grit. For me, somewhere around the 8,000 grit the "buffing" changes to "polishing" as the scratches are no longer visible to these old eyes and the dull appearance starts changing to a bright mirror-like finish. Polishing compounds come in progressive grits as do the polishing clothes. To a large extent, the clothes and the compounds are redundant. They are both designed to make the scratches finer and finer. Each has it’s place where it out performs the other. There are both chemical and mechanical polishing compounds available from 3M, Mothers, Meguiars, etc. Be very careful with the chemical ones as they can be very surprising with how fast and aggressive they can perform. Ask a knowledgeable clerk you trust about their compatibility with your products. I had a urethane clear coat that just would not polish out to my satisfaction. In desperation I used Meguiars #2 and it turned from a shelf model to a contest winner. Years before I used that same #2 on a clear styrene piece from Tamiya and the piece crazed instantly making it useless. Tamiya makes three successive grit polishes plus a final wax. I use the middle (blue cap) extensively. Sometimes Novus #2 works when the Tamiya doesn’t. I can't speak to the Meguiars Tech wax 2.0 but I believe it to be a maintenance type wax as is the Novus #1. The Novus #1 is a wipe-on-buff-off product. It only enhances the appearance by filling in the smallest scratches. It does not remove any paint that would result in a smoother surface. There are three products I know of that work well for me: “the treatment†model wax, aka, The Final Detail; 3M’s Imperial Hand Glaze; and, Mother’s Showtime. Mark Jones put me onto the Hand Glaze and he suggested mixing it with The Final Detail. I use this concoction to get that wet-look shine. I use the Showtime to maintain the shine. Steve

That's a serious looking dog in the background, Reece. I'd let him play with the model if he wants it!

I like it! It came oout nice. Show us what's under the hood!

The terms base coat/clear coat come from the automotive world as do the urethanes. The base coat is the color coat after primer. In the base coat/clear coat world the color coats generally do not have a gloss finish - the gloss coat is provided by the urethane.

If its the wheels, then it looks like you are laying it on too thick. I shoot mine with as low an air presuure as I can & the finest needle. Just dust it on in many coats over a GLOSSY black enamel smooth, smooth surface. Some think its better to apply the Alclad to tacky enamel. I've done both with the same results.

Sure, let me google "very small, delicate tool that looks like a small yellow plastic handle with a tapered piece of metal sticking out of it.... it would be the cat's meow" and see what pops up!

The only thing I can add is that I prepare for gremlins. I have at the ready a new #11, a pair of fine tweezers, a pair of high powered reading glasses and a strong light. If you see a fiber, or a spec of trash, sitting in the clear while its wet you can pull it out. Be careful not to disturb the color coat underneath. If need be, hit the spot with one more pass with the airbrush and it should level out with the rest of the clear.

No Nope, my ISP is COX